<HTML>List, Someone asked on the "pinblock doping" thread what CA glue is.  Here is another example of a very commonly used abbreviation or acronym that we all think everyone must understand but there will inevitably be a person new to the list or the profession, maybe just a casual reader or researcher who has never heard it before. CA stands for CyanoAcrylate and is commonly called "Super Glue" and sometimes "Crazy Glue".  It is a very powerful, fast acting adhesive which does not "dry" (by evaporating the solvent) the way most glues do.  A chemical reaction takes place. It has some amazing properties and an endless list of applications.  It has provided piano technicians with many ways to effect repairs that were otherwise impossible or unfeasible.  Pinblock "doping" is a good example of this.  I always considered it a very dubious attempt at piano repair that only charlatans would engage in.  Still, I *rarely* would get involved. But the CA glue in this case actually healed what appears to have been a rather *pithy* pinblock.  Other "dopes" even epoxy thinned with acetone couldn't have done what the CA glue did splendidly.  Other types of repair such as repinning with oversized pins would have only fractured the wood structure further. There are several brands of CA glue on the market.  Don't buy what you find in a hardware store.  Hobby stores and the piano supply houses have the kind useful in piano work. You need to have the 3 generally available viscosities:  ultra thin, medium and thick.  They each have their place which you must learn by practice and you must also learn which catalysts to use and when. It can be a very dangerous and hazardous substance.  I only use it when another type of glue won't work.  There has been much discussion of this in the past so a search of the archives will yield many interesting opinions, techniques and usage applications. Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin <A HREF="http://www.billbremmer.com/">Click here: -=w w w . b i l l b r e m m e r . c o m =-</A> </HTML>